1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a meat modifying agent, a method of producing a meat product and a meat product.
2. Description of the Related Art
With regard to meat, especially, beef and pork meats, a so-called marbled type, which has a high fat distribution rate, tends to be preferred. In order to obtain a marbled meat, beef cattle, horse, pork pig or the like are raised with not only a high-calorie feed, but also, in some trials, even an animal feed. Nevertheless, the cattle, horse, pig, etc., are originally herbivorous animals, and therefore they should be raised under the natural conditions according to the dispensation of nature. However, the meats obtained from the beef cattle, horse, pork pig and the like that are raised under the natural conditions have a low fat distribution rate.
There have been proposals to modify a piece of meat that has a low fat distribution rate into a quasi-marbled meat by injecting an emulsion of fat into the meat. For example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKOKU Publication No. 4-12937 discloses a method of producing a quasi-marbled meat, in which an emulsion obtained by emulsifying fat with an aqueous solution of protein such as a heated whey protein or egg white is injected into a piece of meat, followed by freezing. Further, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKOKU Publication No. 5-30433 discloses a method of producing a quasi-marbled meat, in which an emulsion of fat that contains chitosan is injected into a piece of meat. Furthermore, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKOKU Publication No. 7-71460 discloses a method of producing a quasi-marbled meat, in which an emulsion of fat that obtained by using caseinate, skimmed milk powder, vegetable protein or the like is injected, as an emulsifier, into a piece of meat.
Needless to mention, it is desired that a meat that has been modified into a quasi-marbled state by the injection of a fat emulsion should exhibit similar conditions and taste to those of a natural marbled meat not only before but also after being cooked. Meanwhile, such a modified meat is frozen for storage as in the case of the natural marbled meat. Here, it is further desired that such a modified meat should have an excellent non-thawing cooking property, that it can exhibit similar conditions and taste of a natural marbled meat even if it is cooked without being thawed.
Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a meat modifying agent that can produce a modified meat that exhibit similar conditions, taste and mouthfeel to those of a natural marbled meat and has an excellent no-thawing cooking property not only before but also after the meat is cooked.
Other objects of the present invention are to provide a method of preparing a modified meat using such meat modifying agent, as well as to provide a modified meat product.